Accidentally In Love
by Crystal56
Summary: Based on books By Jody Lynn Nye, Waking in Dreamland and School of Light. Peppardine, an idealist, schemes to put two unlikely people together in a bond of romance that will last forever. Even if you've never read the books, it's still good read. R
1. In the Land of Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own the books School of Light or Waking in Dreamland, where this story flows from, okay? Both books are property of Jody Lynn Nye. Oh, and I don't own the song either.

Chapter: **In the Land of Twilight**

"Are you going to the dance?" Peppardine asked and wove a strand of light around his finger.

__

"Roan wants me to, so I kinda have to go," I said, "But at lease it's a masquerade Halloween dance. Are you going?"

"Princess Leonora sent us an invite," Peppardine said. Her royal highness was my brother Roan's Fiancée.

"So are you going?" I repeated. Peppardine smiled and glanced towards the door.

_****_

"...maybe. I think I'll be forcing Rutaro to go," Peppardine said.

"Dressing him in old fashioned Victorian wear?" I asked, realizing that he was still avoiding whether to answer if he was going. I'd drop it for now. Peppardine was an idealist and I was his protégé, although he had asked me/ invited me to the ivory tower, I always refused. He knew I didn't get along well with others, partially because of a previous horror in my past so he'd spend time with me instead of forcing me to the Ivory Tower. That's why many never saw him during the day, while other Idealists roamed the campus.

I'd hardly ever met any of the other idealists. I'd seen Rutaro once up close though. Peppardine had wanted him to see an image I was working on and he had critiqued it to a point where I started to argue and we ended up in a shouting fight. Peppardine never brought another idealist after that and he did his best not to talk about Rutaro, although the subject did come up.

"I won't tell," Peppardine said with a smile.

"I hope you aren't scheming anything," I said, cocking an eyebrow.

__

"Me, scheme? In all the years you've known me, do I scheme?" Peppardine asked, "What are you wearing?"

"Why do you wish to know?" I asked.

"Are you dressing like a slut, like you sometimes wear, or will it be fancy dress or what?" Peppardine asked with a teasing tone.

"I am not dressing like a slut!" I exclaimed, "Some of the outfits Meg makes me wear may look like that but I'm not a slut!"

"So what are you wearing?" Peppardine asked.

"A...white ballroom gown," I muttered.

"With lace on the dress and pearls in the hair?" he pressed.

"Leonora..." I replied, "Will be having fun." He dropped it after that. When I mentioned Princess Leonora's name, he knew I'd get the works done, whether I liked it or not. We worked in silence again for a bit, and I sculpted the feet of the wolf piece I was working on.

__

After some time, Peppardine looked up at me and smiled.

"I'll be dressed in Victorian Attire," he said thoughtfully, "Can't say how Rutaro will look, or try to make himself look."

"Will he try to be a womanizer?" I asked. I think Leonora said something about eligible ladies with a dance card for people to sign, and I shuddered at the though he might (Rutaro Might) try to sign it.

"Go with red hair and find out," Peppardine said, "Of course you won't know who he is..."

__

"Harrumph!" I said and turned back to working on a wolf paw, making sure each furry and fuzzy detail was there.

"Well, you should try to enjoy it," Peppardine said seriously, turning from the tree that was his own work and coming over to mine, "very nice, the details are getting better defined."

"Means a lot from you," I said dryly and Peppardine smiled widely.

"Perhaps you'd like Rutaro to critique instead?" he asked and barely avoided the book I chucked at his head. Laughing, he began to pack away his stuff.

"Where are you going?" I asked, and then I checked my watch. Oh, he should be heading out to the ivory tower now.

_****_

"You know. Anyways, I hope to see you ad the ball. I'll be sure to sign your dance card," he trailed, heading for the door.

"How do you know about that?" I asked with an angry flush but he was out of there with a sly grin upon his face. He was a man of many personalities and he always seemed to be scheming when I was with him.

"See you at the dance," I said wistfully, "And maybe later on before that too..."

__

TBC

**A/N**: This is one of my favorite books I'm basing it on. If you need to know a little bit more about the book, I will in the next chapter give you a summary the two book series this is based on. And please, feel free to offer suggestions or try to guess my plot bunnies, because I have...more than this chapter down on paper so I just need some feedback on how I'm doing. I know how this'll go down and how I want it to end. The trouble is getting there and help is always appreciated. Well please don't flame me, unless its rated G-PG but give constructive criticism instead. And please at lease tell me one good thing I did with this. Please remember, it does take time to develop characters as well, so no one tell me my characters are underdeveloped, okay?

**Let me know what you think, so read and review! **


	2. Under the Moon

Disclaimer: I did the disclaimer first chapter…if you didn't read that I feel bad for you.

A/N: So seriously, I'm the only one who reads these books? I feel so bad for me…LOL

Sex will be in later chapters.

**Accidentally in Love**

"Kate, if you don't sit still I can't get this right!" Leonora said with a sigh as she adjusted yet again a ribbon in my hair. I sighed, this sucked, and it really sucked. It was only a few hours before the ball and she was having her way with me. Why did I let her do it? Why couldn't I run away to mom and the temple and get out of here?

"I don't want you too!" I exclaimed.

"I have to get this up so you can get on your dress. Doing this afterwards would ruin the dress!" Leonora said, "And I love how it looks, Meg outdid herself this time."

"I can't believe you're forcing me to do this princess, I hate it," I muttered.

"Oh, that reminds me, take this dance card," she said and a small sheet of cardboard labeled with everything one would need to get a guy's signature on it. "I'm sure you'll fill it up in no time."

"This just doesn't feel like me," I said in a huff, "Why can't I just wear a suit?"

"Because that's not very ladylike and would spoil my plans," she said in a sing song voice.

"Plans?" I asked in a dangerous voice.

"Plans to show you off tonight, you are a pretty young lady and I want to show it to everyone!"

I frowned. "You scheme just as much as Peppardine."

She smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I grimaced as she pulled a strand of my hair. "OW! No, I mean it. I don't care what you're trying to do but don't hook me up with anyone!"

"But why would I do that?"

"Because you're an evil princess," I muttered, "And I will kill myself if you are up to something."

"You always say that but you never do it," Leonora said.

"That a challenge princess?" I asked.

"Don't take it as one," she said sweetly, "I was just saying you wouldn't."

"I hate this."

"Oh come now Kate, don't struggle."

I grumbled something she couldn't understand. This sucked…it really sucked.

**_Rutaro_**

****

I adjusted the cuff on my right wrist a little forcefully. I didn't realize I had agreed to do something like this until Peppardine finished and I had said yes. I hated balls, sure, they were fancy and elegant and everything that I loved to see, but Peppardine was forcing me to go to get me to mingle with people.

"Are you ready to go yet?" Peppardine asked me and I turned to glare at him, standing smugly in his outfit as I kept adjusting my own suit in the mirror. I was wearing the same as he was in, a Victorian style outfit but rather than the deep blues and blacks he had I had a mixture of crimson and black velvet.

"I can't believe I agreed to do this," I said sullenly. "I can't believe you tricked me into doing this."

"I didn't trick you into anything. Your pride got you into this," he said with a smile and came up to me, helping me to adjust the collar. "Besides, you'll be the talk of the ball."

"There are much men better looking than I," I said. It was true, in truth, I was a little wide around the waist and wasn't muscular. "I'm not looking to be the talk of the ball."

"I am looking for it, for you I mean. You'll be the talk, women will come over to you in droves," Peppardine said.

"Are you trying to hook me up with someone in particular?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

He smiled at me, a grin that told a mischievous tale. "I wouldn't do such a thing."

"You would and you most likely are. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to get me to fall in love with one ball, with some rapturous little girl in a mask who I'll never see again?" I asked.

"I wouldn't be that cruel even if that was my plan, which it's not," he said. "Come along, we don't want to be late. And don't act all moody! I will not have an angry Rutaro coming to a ball." I followed along, however reluctant I might be. I knew he was up to something, I knew it!

**_TBC_**


End file.
